Online poker is licensed and regulated in Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. It is also legal in Connecticut and West Virginia, however, there are no online poker rooms offered in these states.
Each online poker room offers a unique experience. This includes the types of online poker games dealt, including structures like no limit, pot limit, and fixed limit.
This article also covers the rules of Texas hold’em, Omaha, Omaha hi/low, seven card stud, seven card stud, and mixed games like HORSE. These games are dealt at online poker rooms as cash games, tournaments and sit and gos.
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Online poker game structures
There are three types of online poker game structures. These are no limit, pot limit and fixed limit.
No limit poker
No limit is the most common way to play Texas hold’em. This type of structure is available in cash games and tournaments. Nearly all poker tournaments are no limit Texas hold’em.
No limit allows the player to bet any or all chips in their stack at any time. For example, at a $1/2 no limit hold’em table, the small blind posts $1. The big blind is $2. The first player, called under the gun, may call $2, fold, or raise at least $2 up to any amount on the table in front of the player. Chips may not be purchased in the middle of a hand. The maximum bet is the number of chips the player has in front of them at that moment. There is no cap on the number of raises.
Pot limit poker
Pot limit is most common at Omaha and Omaha hi/lo. It is typically the only way that Omaha is played. This game plays like no limit. The blind structures are exactly the same. However, it has a cap for the maximum raise. It is the amount equal to the pot and any calls. If there is no bet that round and the action is on you, the maximum bet is equal to the amount in the pot. If there is a bet during this round in front of you, the maximum raise is three times the last bet plus whatever was in the pot when the action got to you.
Fixed limit poker
Fixed limit is a completely structured version of poker. It is the only way seven card stud and most mixed games are dealt. It may also be used for Texas hold’em and Omaha hi/lo.
In a $1/2 fixed limit game, the small blind is $0.50. The big blind is $1. Players may only bet or raise $1 before and after the flop. The bet and raises are $2 on the turn and river. There is usually a cap on the number of raises permitted per round. It may be three, four, or five, depending on the house rules. If a game is heads up, players may usually raise an unlimited number of times. That is because one player can just call to stop the escalating raises.
Types of online poker games
Most online poker games are Texas hold’em. Omaha makes up most of the other action. You may find Omaha hi/lo, seven card stud and mixed game tables available. However, with the possible exception of pot limit Omaha hi/lo, it may be hard to find enough players to get a game off the ground.
Texas hold’em
Texas hold’em is by far the most popular poker game. This is true for tournaments, cash games and sit and gos. Nearly all live and online poker versions of it are no limit. There are still some fixed limit players out there. These games tend to be at the lower limits.
A hand of Texas hold’em starts with determining where the button is. This is the dealer’s position at the table. This seat gets the last action, so it is best to have the button. If a table just opened, one card is dealt to each player. The highest card wins the button. Ties are broken based on suits alphabetically. Spades are the highest. It then goes to hearts, diamonds, and clubs.
If this is not the first hand at the table, the button is to the left of the player that had it last hand. It moves clockwise with each deal of new cards.
How to post blinds
The player to the left of the button posts a small blind. The next player puts a big blind on the table. In some games, there is an ante that all players must post. This is more common in tournaments. It may also be that a set position at the table antes for everybody to avoid slowing the game down.
Two cards are dealt to each player. The first position before the flop is to the left of the big blind. This player looks at their two cards and decides whether to call, fold, or raise. This action moves around the table until all bets and raises are called or players fold.
If there are no raises around the table, and at least one player calls, the big blind has the option of checking or raising. Once the preflop bets are called, the flop is dealt.
How a Texas hold’em flop works
The flop consists of three cards that are shared by all players. This is called the board, which will have five cards if the hand continues to completion. In a live poker game, the dealer burns a card before showing the flop.
After the flop and for all future betting rounds, the action starts with the first player to the left of the button with cards. This player may check or bet. All other players left in the hand must decide to call any bets or fold. If there is no bet to them, they may also check, which means no bet is made but also not folding.
Betting the turn and river
Once the betting after the flop is completed, the fourth community card is shown. This is called the turn. A card is burned in a live game. The betting is the same here as after the flop. However, in fixed limit games, the bet doubles here compared to the previous round.
When the betting on this round is finished, the fifth community card is shown. A card is burned before this card is displayed at live games. The betting structure is identical in this round to the turn.
Determining a winner
If all players fold to a single player, that person wins the pot, and the next hand starts. If two or more players call the river bet or all check, there is a showdown.
The last bettor shows their hand first. If all players checked on the river, the player to the left of the button typically shows first. However, there may be a house rule that says the last bettor from a previous round shows first. The player’s two hole cards are combined with the five board cards to make the best five-card hand. The best hand wins the pot.
If more than one player has the same best hand, the pot is split among all. In some cases, the board will make a straight or similar hand that no player can beat. The pot is divided evenly in this case. If there is an odd chip, the player to the left of the button receives it. That is because this player was in the worst position.
Omaha
Omaha is the second most popular online poker game. It is usually dealt in the pot limit format. One notable exception is the Boulder Station poker room in Las Vegas, where a 4/8 fixed limit Omaha hi game has run for decades.
Omaha shares some similarities with Texas hold’em. There is a flop, turn, and river. There are blinds and a button. However, there is a huge difference.
In Omaha, a player is dealt four cards. Two cards from these four must be used. The player may not use anymore or less than two cards. It is combined with three cards from the board to make the best hand.
Omaha hi/lo
Omaha hi/lo plays like Omaha except that it is a split pot game. The best low hand takes half of the pot. The wheel, which is a five-high straight, is the nut low. A player must be able to make an 8-low or else the high hand wins the entire pot. It is usually simple to find whether there will be a low hand. It requires at least three cards 8 or lower to be on the board. An ace plays high or low.
A low hand is graded based on its highest card. Straights and flushes don’t matter for low hands at Omaha hi/lo. For example, 76543 could play both ways. It is a straight for high and a 7-low. That hand would beat any low with an 8 in it. It would lose to any other 7-low hand.
Seven card stud
Seven card stud is a dying game, both online and at casinos. If you find this game, it is likely a high limit one at Bellagio or the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, or a micro limit game at an online poker room.
A hand of seven card stud starts with all players making an ante. This is usually about one-sixth of the small bet. In a $6/12 game, it’s $1. The dealer starts to their left and gives each player two cards down and one up. The lowest card up card makes the first bet. This is called a bring-in. This is about one-third of the small bet. At $6/12, it’s $2. This player has the option of making a full bet of $6, or whatever the small bet is in the particular game.
After each betting round, a card is dealt face up, until the last card, which is given face down. Most seven card stud games are fixed limit. A few, like a weekly 2-10 game in Deadwood, are spread limit. In fixed limit, the small bet is available on the first and second betting rounds. However, if there is a pair up in front of any player, a double bet is permitted. The large bet is available on the third, fourth and fifth bets of the game.
The highest hand showing has first action at seven card stud. If there is no hand of a pair or better, the highest card in an unpaired hand goes first, starting with the ace.
While players have seven cards, only five play. If a hand goes to showdown, the last bettor shows their hand first. If nobody bet on the last round, the highest hand showing tables their cards.
Seven card stud hi/lo
Seven card stud hi/lo plays like seven card stud with a couple of exceptions. A low hand must be five cards 8 or lower that do not pair. The best low is a wheel, which is a five-high straight. If no player makes a low hand, the high hand takes the entire pot. If there is a low, it is split between the high and low.
Another difference between seven card stud and seven card stud hi/lo is that the double bet on fourth street with an open pair is not permitted in the hi/lo version in fixed limit. The small bet is made here, regardless of the door cards.
Seven card stud hi/lo is difficult to find. There may be tables of it online, but these games have few players. Live seven card stud hi/lo games are found during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. These are usually high limit games. There are typically a few seven card stud hi/lo World Series of Poker events. Most seven card stud hi/lo games are found in mixed games, like HORSE.
Mixed games
Mixed games are popular in Las Vegas and a few other poker markets. The most common mixed game is HORSE. This is fixed limit Texas hold’em, Omaha hi/lo, razz, seven card stud and seven card stud high low. Razz is seven card stud lowball. Each game is played for one orbit. HORSE is the most popular tournament mixed game.
PokerStars is the only online poker room that deals mixed games. This includes HORSE, badugi and draw games.
Ways to play online poker
There are three different ways to play poker. Cash games are where you buy into a game and receive an equal amount of chips. Rake is taken from each pot. At a live game, it is typically 10% up to $5. At an online poker game, it may be 5% or 6% up to $3 or $4. Players can leave a cash game at any time.
Tournaments are another way to play poker. This is where a player pays a set amount and receives a stack of chips. The player is in the tournament until they are out of chips. Some tournaments allow players to add to their stack. This is called an add-on. A busted player or one with a small stack may be permitted to re-buy a stack of chips to stay in the tournament.
Many live tournaments have reentry. This means that a busted player can get back into the tournament as if they are a new player.
The two types of tournaments are multi table and sit and gos. Multi table tournaments tend to have large fields. Sit and gos typically consist of one table, though some may have two or three tables. Some sit and gos are lottery-style. For example, BetMGM Poker offers SPINS. These are three-handed tournaments where a random number generator determines the amount of the prize pool.
Most live tournaments are multi table. Sit and gos are primarily offered at online poker rooms.
Last Updated on September 2, 2023 by John Mehaffey